1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus for reading and reproducing data such as sounds or video images recorded on an optical disc such as a DVD (digital versatile disc).
2. Description of the Related Art
In the optical disc apparatus which reproduces data like sounds, video images, or characters recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (compact disc), LD (laser disc), DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read only memory) or the like, a conventional optical disc apparatus with a resume function is known. The optical disc apparatus with a resume function restarts reproducing data such as video images continuously from the preceding stop point. The optical disc apparatus realize a resume function by storing the optical disc memory address which shows the preceding stop point, and restarting next reproduction from this address.
The conventional optical disc apparatus with a resume function, however, clears the information about the preceding stop point stored in a volatile memory, when once the optical disc has been taken out of the apparatus. Consequently, the apparatus cannot restart next reproduction from the preceding stop point, when once a user takes out the optical disc used for halfway reproduction from the apparatus, and loads the apparatus with the same optical disc again, or when a user transfers the optical disc used for halfway reproduction from one apparatus to another apparatus. In this case, a user needs to reproduce data recorded on the optical disc, and search for the preceding stop point.
In an optical disc apparatus which reproduce data on a recordable and reproducible optical disc such as an MD (mini disc), an apparatus shown in a gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication HEI 11-297052 can restart next reproduction from the preceding stop point, when once a user takes out the optical disc from the apparatus, and loads the apparatus with the same optical disc again, or when a user transfers the optical disc from one apparatus to another apparatus. This apparatus makes it possible to restart next reproduction from the preceding stop point, by restarting next reproduction from the stop point recorded on the optical disc when it stopped reproducing most recently.
A gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication HEI 11-110957 discloses such an on-line CD-ROM changer system that each recipient outputs voice which a sender reproduces. In this CD-ROM changer system, a sender records the number of a disc used for reproduction before each recipient is shut off, and after each recipient has been turned on again, a sender reproduces voice recorded on the same optical disc that a sender used for reproduction before each recipient was shut off, using the above disc number.
The prior art shown in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Laid-open HEI 11-297052 is applicable to the optical disc apparatus for a rewritable optical disc such as an MD and DVD-RAM (digital versatile disc random access memory). But this prior art is not applicable to the optical disc apparatus for a read-only optical disc such as a DVD-ROM(digital versatile disc read only memory) and a CD-ROM(compact disc read only memory), because this prior art requires the optical disc apparatus to record the preceding stop point on the optical disc.
Even if the invention of an on-line CD-ROM changer system shown in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication HEI 11-110957 is applied to a stand-alone optical disc apparatus which reads and reproduces a data alone, the apparatus cannot restart next reproduction from the preceding stop point, when once a user takes out the optical disc from the apparatus, and loads the apparatus with the same optical disc again, or when a user transfers the optical disc from one apparatus to another apparatus.